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Auditory processing in preschool children (Sun et al., 2024)

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posted on 2024-07-31, 17:13 authored by Yuying Sun, Jia Zhou, Huiqin Zhu, Panting Liu, Huanxi Lin, Zhenglu Xiao, Xinyue Yu, Jun Qian, Meiling Tong, Xia Chi, Qin Hong

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using the speech auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR), which provides insights into the AP of speech signals in the central auditory nervous system (CANS).

Method: A total of 84 preschool children diagnosed with ADHD, aged 4–6 years, were matched with 84 typically developing (TD) children based on gender and age. All children underwent speech-ABR testing, cognitive assessment using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Fourth Edition or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition, and a continuous performance test.

Results: Children with ADHD exhibited significantly longer latencies of speech-ABR waveforms V, A, and D compared to TD children. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the latencies of speech-ABR waves V, A, and D were affected by the presence of ADHD, but not by the full-scale intelligence quotient.

Conclusions: This study revealed that preschool children with ADHD exhibited abnormal AP of speech signals in their CANS. The findings suggest that speech-ABR can be utilized as a reliable measure to evaluate AP ability in this population, as it remains unaffected by cognitive or attentional factors. The transient response (V, A) of speech-ABR was found to be a significant predictor of ADHD in a clinical setting. Early assessment of AP abnormalities via speech-ABR is recommended in preschool-age children to develop targeted interventions for ADHD.

Supplemental Material S1. Pure-tone air-conduction threshold for all children.

Supplemental Material S2. Latencies and amplitudes of speech-ABR measures for children with ADHD and TD children.

Supplemental Material S3. Analysis on factors influencing the wave V of speech-ABR by multiple linear regression analysis.

Supplemental Material S4. Analysis on factors influencing the wave A of speech-ABR by multiple linear regression analysis.

Supplemental Material S5. Analysis on factors influencing the wave D of speech-ABR by multiple linear regression analysis.

Sun, Y., Zhou, J., Zhu, H., Liu, P., Lin, H., Xiao, Z., Yu, X., Qian, J., Tong, M., Chi, X., & Hong, Q. (2024). Characteristics of speech auditory brainstem response in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67(9), 3163–3177. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00454

Funding

This research was funded in part by the Jiangsu Province Maternal and Child Health Research Project (Grant No. F202113) and the Nanjing Health Science and Technology Development Special Fund Project (Grant No. YKK21157).

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